Summer is the perfect time for a good read, yet nobody seems to be getting one on new Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

A Bill Parcells protégé known for adapting his play-calling to his personnel and being an innovative play caller, he is also a volatile sideline presence who inspires loyalty from some players but irritates others.

He is certainly not Bruce Arians, who was not-so-gently shoved out the door in January despite quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s unwavering support. But, according to those who know Haley best, he also isn’t a control freak who implements change just to show he’s the boss.

While the Steelers generally shy away from coaches with colorful pasts, Haley has that and more, as evidenced by his well-publicized clashes with players and an abrupt departure as the Kansas City Chiefs’ coach last year in which he reportedly suspected team offices and his cell phone were bugged.

Now, Haley’s assimilation into the Steelers’ way of life is the latest Mystery of Pittsburgh, a shadowy yet intriguing riddle that will begin to be solved when the Steelers — coming off successive 12-4 seasons — open camp Wednesday in Latrobe. It figures to be a can’t-miss page turner.

“I’ve heard a lot of Todd stories — some good, some bad,” said former Steelers star guard Alan Faneca, who played in Arizona after Haley was the offensive coordinator there. “He’s definitely a hard worker and demands a lot. He can be very excitable during practice. But sometimes change is good, to get people out of their comfort zone.”

That’s already happened with Roethlisberger, who thrived in a Ben-friendly Arians offense that permitted him to improvise at will. Upon first glance at Haley’s playbook, Roethlisberger jokingly called it a Rosetta Stone course in a brand new language.

“That (change) has a way of keeping guys on their toes and keeping their focus, understanding what their goal is, and that’s to win Super Bowls,” Haley said during minicamp last month. “Win one this year — that’s our goal.”

Haley, 45, is the first outsider in 13 years to run the offense. But he’s no stranger to Pittsburgh or the Steelers; as a youngster in Upper St. Clair, he broke down game film with father Dick Haley, the former Steelers personnel chief who played a major role in some of the best drafts in NFL history in the 1970s.

FOOTBALL NOT FIRST LOVE

Todd Haley’s story isn’t the sit-on-dad’s-knee-and-become-a-football genius tale of Patriots coach Bill Belichick. In his teens, Haley shifted his emphasis to golf, playing in high school and at Florida and Miami in college.

The PGA, not the NFL, appeared to be his calling.

“But there never was a time he wasn’t into football,” said Dick Haley, who at 75 remains plugged into the NFL. “Because of some back problems, he got diverted into golf, but he always wanted to know about the players, about football. How many kids wouldn’t want to after rooming next to Joe Greene at training camp?”

The elder Haley left the Steelers to become the Jets’ personnel director in 1991 and, four years later, Todd was hired in the scouting department. Within two years, he was on Parcells’ coaching staff.

“Todd is bright, demanding, persistent, and he came along pretty well,” Parcells said.

Parcells didn’t care Haley hadn’t played football.

“I know guys who didn’t play and did very well in coaching, and others who played that don’t have a clue what to do,” Parcells, a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, said.

Haley was promoted to wide receivers coach in 1999 before switching to the Bears in 2001, only to rejoin Parcells in Dallas in 2004.

Haley’s profile rose with his next job as the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator from 2007-08. With quarterback Kurt Warner headlining an imaginative offense highlighted by former Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s big plays, the Cardinals were second in passing and third in scoring in 2008. They went 9-7 during the season, but scored at least 30 points during three consecutive playoff wins and rallied from a 13-point deficit to nearly upset the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

That deep throw to Fitz-gerald that nearly sent the Steelers home a loser from Tampa? Haley’s play call.

Haley was subsequently hired as the Chiefs coach by general manager Scott Pioli, the former Patriots executive who worked for the Jets when Haley did. But while Haley went from 4-12 in his first season in 2009 to 10-6 in 2010, finishing third in the coach of the year voting, he was fired with his injury-ruined team reeling with a 5-8 record on Dec. 12.

STORMY DAYS IN K.C.

Haley is derecho-like — always going straight ahead, in full-go mode, and in Kansas City, storm clouds often loomed on the horizon.

Chan Gailey, retained from Herm Edwards’ staff to be the offensive coordinator, didn’t make it through training camp. Larry Johnson, the two-time former 1,700-yard rusher, questioned Haley’s coaching credentials in a Twitter message and was cut in 2009. And tight end Tony Moeaki was lost to a season-ending knee injury in the final 2011 exhibition game, when many NFL regulars rest.

“The quarterback (Matt Cassel) was real average. … It didn’t surprise me what happened in Kansas City. I didn’t have any real confidence in the whole thing,” Dick Haley said.

After Todd Haley departed, the Kansas City Star published a devastating article in which a number of former team employees revealed what they called an intimidating, secretive and stifling work environment. According to the Star, Haley himself suspected bugging at the practice complex.

Given Haley’s sideline spats with Warner, Anquan Boldin, Terrell Owens and Cassel, his relationship with Roethlisberger should prove intriguing. Haley once said, “If you’re sensitive, (the NFL) is not the best place to be.”

“You accept people for what they are and get past the sensitivity level, if there is any,” Parcells said. “Both guys are smart enough to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to make it work.’ ”

Torry Holt, a NFL Network analyst and former Rams star receiver, can’t wait to see how this plays out.

“Coach Haley has a strong personality. Ben has a strong personality. I’m sure Todd wants him to hone in on this or hone in on that, and Ben will try,” Holt said. “But out there on the football field, your instincts kick in and your competitive nature kicks in, and you kind of resort back to what you’ve always done.”

Haley’s take on Roethlisberger? “He’s a guy that’s been a really good player, and we’re going to try to keep that going and get even better,” he said.

Haley believes an offense must be physical, smart and disciplined, and his system resembles that of his former boss, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, a Steelers assistant from 2001-06.

“Todd Haley represents the best of both worlds,” NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes said. “With Kurt Warner, he threw it 45 times a game and didn’t blink. In Kansas City, he ran it 45 times a game. He’s got those three young wide receivers there in Pittsburgh, and Ben knows how to put the ball in the air. Todd will make the adjustments, and rather quickly.”

While Haley is an assistant again after being a head coach, his father insists he has never been happier now that he’s back home in Pittsburgh with his wife Chrissy and five children.

“He’s loving every second of this,” the elder Haley said. “He couldn’t be more excited.”

Dad Haley also realizes there is intense pressure to succeed as a high-profile coach in your hometown, even if former head coach Bill Cowher made it work.

“I don’t question he’ll do well. (But) there’s a lot of pressure to live up to what’s gone on there for a long time,” Dick Haley said. “And he’d better be good because there’s a lot of pressure on him right now.”

No, I think Haley was horrendous b/c he was one of the worse game day coaches that I've seen in a long time. Completely and hopelessly lost on Sundays, and this quality and the suck of Cassel are mutually exclusive.

Agree to disagree. If you think Haley was one of the worst, then you're in for a real treat with Romeo. Haley made a lot of dumb choices, but it seemed to me that he took a lot of big risks when he knew his team wasn't good enough to win without a little bit of luck. When the team was competitive, we didn't see nearly as many of those gaffes.

What's more important to me is that this was the most disciplined team we've seen in some time, and almost every player improved under his watch. Markedly. Haley made quite a few dumb mistakes, but I also know that he was crippled by horrendously micromanaged decisions that came from above him. Again, I don't know if he was a good or bad coach with better management up top. But one can't deny that those decisions didn't necessarily give him the fairest shot to prove it.

Agree to disagree. If you think Haley was one of the worst, then you're in for a real treat with Romeo. Haley made a lot of dumb choices, but it seemed to me that he took a lot of big risks when he knew his team wasn't good enough to win without a little bit of luck. When the team was competitive, we didn't see nearly as many of those gaffes.

What's more important to me is that this was the most disciplined team we've seen in some time, and almost every player improved under his watch. Markedly. Haley made quite a few dumb mistakes, but I also know that he was crippled by horrendously micromanaged decisions that came from above him. Again, I don't know if he was a good or bad coach with better management up top. But one can't deny that those decisions didn't necessarily give him the fairest shot to prove it.

Don't disagree with that statement, and I will concede that I could be underselling the bullshit of Pioli.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgirl

If you met me in person and didn't know who I was you would never guess it was me.

Five set pass plays with Orton = exponentially better than anything involving Palko.

If you're remotely justifying Palko playing, your argument is laughably flawed. Hell, there's likely no way that Stanzi can be worse than Palko, and there was that option at the very least.

QB aside, Haley was and is a joke as a HC.

The Orton vs. Palko thing isn't even an argument. Few head coaches would ever march a QB on the field with less than 2 days of preparation. And many head coaches would never start Orton over Palko with the condition of his finger. You're saying he should have played completely unprepared or injured. In both cases, most coaches would have done the same exact thing.

Are you trying to say he wasn't in uniform because he didn't make it to KC in time to be?

He didn't show up until Friday of that week. He didn't start practicing with the team until Friday Night. I'm sure Saturday wasn't an intense day of practice.

So yes, I think you're really reaching if this is the argument you want to hang your hat on. That a QB should learn a totally new offense in one day and that his team should be prepared to play with a guy they've only known for 1 day.

i wish i could be the fly on the wall for the behind the doors debates on Cassel between Haley, Pioli, Clark, whoever.

So clear the Haleys knew he sucked just like the fans do. Big Ben is certainly an upgrade for Todd to work with.

Everything I've read said Haley knew what a liability Cassel was but was ordered by the crown to keep him in. And not to use Stanzi. Retarded orders from Scotty boy

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris616

High Tech is Sorcery and the people who are really powerful are literally telling people to commit crimes using the psychic interspace created by the WWW and Wireless. They are controlling peoples actions like drones . The two things are deeply intertwined. The more man's brain interfaces with machines the creepier it gets. They use brains separate from a human body in a supercomputer and you have The Image of the Beast. The military has been doing this since the 50s

It's hard to get blown out in the NFL given the talent is so equal. It's not just the blowouts it's also the demeanor on the sideline. Haley's actions were embarrassing and not indicative of a leader at all.

I can't say I disagree with this.

I am not sure that Haley was a worse head coach than Herman ****ing Edwards, though.

The blowouts might be telling to you, but the blowouts were, in large part, due to Haley's more aggressive style.

Herman ****ing Edwards wouldn't take any kind of risk, ever, and that kept his team in a lot of games, but it also never gave his team any chance to steal wins.

Even Haley's approach to last offseson was risky, and it blew up in his face.

I still believe that, in time, he'll grow, and when he does, he will be a damn good head coach.

He just wasn't prepared for this opportunity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd1020

Plenty of time to come up with a handful of plays and be more successful than Palko. Unless, of course, you believe its possible to be worse than 0 TDs and 6 INTs.

No, I think Haley was horrendous b/c he was one of the worse game day coaches that I've seen in a long time. Completely and hopelessly lost on Sundays, and this quality and the suck of Cassel are mutually exclusive.